Travel, Travel!

I think the theme of this post is straight forward, but I will say it again, Travel. I read a post on Substack last year that changed my life. The person said something along the lines of "Travel, Travel, I have never regretted spending money on travel. The people you meet, experiences and just the overall mindset you gain is forever". This is not the exact quote, but I did the best I could to paraphrase it but reading that changed something in me. A year later I'm just coming back from a 6-country trip in a month and I can't stop smiling. I'm remembering how it felt to finally see the Mona Lisa, to go to the museum of my favorite Artist Victor Van Gogh in Amsterdam to learn about his works and life and my exploration of Toronto with Kim a man I met that morning from Australia who became a huge part of that trip.

The experiences are forever and this is not something we can get from materialistic things or running the everyday rat race. We can work hard because life is hard especially this economy, but it is important to take time to enjoy life. I was watching a video on Youtube in which he talked about working in the home cleaning business and being called out by family members to clean the home of their deceased uncle. He talked about seeing all the certificates and all the accomplishes their uncle had but after he died it was all being thrown away. The Youtuber himself recognized he works so hard in life to achieve a lot of things, but he doesn't make time to really enjoy these things. With the experience of cleaning out this place, he realized how all these things are thrown away and let go after the person is gone. I have been randomly smiling for days, and it all has to do with the random thoughts I have of how it felt to take a day trip from Amsterdam to Rotterdam just because I wanted to see Markthal.

Markthal may be one of the best food courts in all of Europe and not just known for the food but also the architecture. The building is filled with Art and is a masterpiece. For anyone interested look it up on google because it is something to be seen for yourself. I remember the feeling of traveling from Milan to St. Moritz, Switzerland to see the Swiss Alps. The beauty of it is like no other and is something I wish for anyone. I remember meeting my new brother Paul when I booked a tour of the Colosseum. Paul is from Ireland and we started a conversation about soccer and our love for Manchester United. We became brothers that same day and the experience of walking inside the Colosseum and admiring something that is almost two thousand years old will never be forgotten . I remember meeting Isabelle at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris after asking her to take a picture of me. Who would have thought we would be talking for an hour after, and she would personally take me on a tour to the Palace of Versailles a couple days after. I remember the wow ness I felt standing at the Largo di Torre Argentina, where Julius Cesar was assassinated in Rome. I could go on and on, but you get the idea, Travel.